Massachusetts School Turnaround Research Partnership

Overview

The Massachusetts School Turnaround Research Partnership is working with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to examine the turnaround practices and indicators of the lowest performing schools in the state in order to improve them. The Partnership is also exploring how to best share information about effective turnaround practices with a broader audience, including districts and schools.

Goals

Support state policymakers in using and applying research as they consider adjustments to strategies to support low-performing schools.

Identify and develop strategies for low-performing schools and districts to use extant data to improve decision making.

Projects

Since 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has made a significant investment in developing a coherent and aligned system for supporting and monitoring its lowest performing schools. The monitoring process includes collecting schoolwide observation data of classroom instructional practices, which DESE then uses to provide formative feedback to schools on their turnaround practices. This study is using schoolwide instructional observation data, collected using Teachstone's Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) tool, to examine whether the schoolwide CLASS observation data are associated with improved schoolwide student achievement and growth. Learn more.